


Synaesthesia Auditiva

by PunkHazard



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Dimension Travel, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-28
Updated: 2020-06-28
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:21:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,158
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24954439
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PunkHazard/pseuds/PunkHazard
Summary: Winston frowns, brows furrowing as he leans closer to the screen to read the string of errors his code had thrown. The actual content of the errors means nothing to Lúcio, but a screen of red exclamation points is never a good thing. He moves to the platform, prepared to manually deactivate the machine, but has to duck out of the way when two shapes appear in the opaque portal and materialize in a flash of blue light."Oh," says Winston, not sounding pleased at all.
Relationships: Lúcio Correia dos Santos/Genji Shimada
Comments: 3
Kudos: 31





	Synaesthesia Auditiva

> GIBRALTAR 04:42

Lúcio doesn't register anything specifically wrong with the situation until the hand at his chest curls over his own, followed by the brush of soft lips over the back of his neck. The gesture is familiar enough, and the shape of the body behind him is about the right size, the right shape but-- Lúcio flips on his desklamp, rolling his eyes at a noise of protest, and slides out of bed.

Maybe he could stand to be more careful but whatever else is off, he doesn't feel particularly threatened by this turn of events and Lúcio startles at the flash of bright green hair disappearing under the edge of his blanket. "Genji?" he says, reaching for the covers and pulling them back to reveal an owlishly squinting _someone_ , their eyes still trying to adjust to the sudden light.

Lúcio would recognize those eyes anywhere, that sleepy quirk of his lips. The inflection of his voice in the gentle "Lúcio?" he responds with. His face is unscarred, body skin-and-muscle instead of carbon fiber and artificial sinew. Not-Genji looks around, eyes narrowing at the sight of an unfamiliar room, the single twin-sized bunk Lúcio had scrambled out of. He should've been on his feet, weapons drawn, in a fraction of the time it takes him to sit up, but the wary tension in his shoulders is all Genji. "Where is this?"

"Gibraltar," Lúcio says, arms crossing over his chest.

Not-Genji's brows furrow, a skeptical expression on his face. "In Europe?" he asks, as if there's some other Gibraltar. "Not New York?"

"What would we be doing in New York?"

"We live there."

Lúcio's been to New York. It's nothing like Gibraltar, much less the Watchpoint. "How could you mistake the Watchpoint for New York?" he laughs, promptly deciding that there's no Genji he could ever stay suspicious of.

"I thought," Genji answers slowly, with a sheepish smile, "that as long as I was with you, it doesn't matter where I am."

"Flatterer," Lúcio manages to say, his face growing warm. He watches Genji stand, the movements fluid and easy, brimming with confidence. None of his Genji's cautious deliberation, the keen precision of his cyborg body.

"I should let you get back to sleep," Genji says, absently tying the drawstring of his sweatpants and tugging the hem of his shirt back into place.

Lúcio tries not to look, but his eyes are drawn to the casual roll of Not-Genji's shoulders, that uncertainty in his expression at the thought of being on his own in an entirely new timeline-- the stubbornness in the line of his jaw, an absolute refusal to admit any shred of fear. "It's fine," Lúcio says, absently adjusting his locs to sit more comfortably under their wrap, "you can stay. But we should find Winston, maybe he'll know how to fix this."

Not-Genji's hand rises to cover his mouth. His brows furrow. "I wouldn't want to impose so late at night."

"It can wait a few hours." Lúcio catches Genji's hand as he staggers back to bed, tugging him toward it before releasing the other man and burrowing under the covers. "Are you really Genji?" he asks, shuffling back to make ample room.

"I take it," Not-Genji comments with a wry twist of his lips, "I look very different here."

"Where you're from, we're also..."

"Yes." Hesitating at the edge of the bed, Not-Genji leans down to regard the thoughtful frown on Lúcio's face, and takes a step back. "What's wrong, Lúcio?"

"You have a brother?"

"Hanzo."

Lúcio lifts the corner of the blanket, shifting until his back is pressed to the wall. "Why're you in New York and not with the Shimadas?"

Not-Genji joins him under the covers, keeping an awkward distance. "When we were younger," he says slowly, "Hanzo couldn't bring himself to kill me when I refused to assume responsibility for the family business. We left Japan together."

"Oh." Lúcio tries to imagine that particular sequence of events and turns over, screwing his eyes shut as the stranger behind him settles in. "Things happened differently for my Genji," he says.

Not-Genji stills, pulling the covers up to his shoulders. "Let's save this for tomorrow."

> GIBRALTAR 05:40

Lúcio kicks his feet, staring at not-Genji's back as the other man roots around in the Watchpoint refrigerator. They had both dozed for about an hour before Genji hauled himself out of bed and wandered to the kitchen, cheerfully insisting that he couldn't sleep and just had to explore. Lúcio's sense of responsibility had overridden his inclination to let this stranger wander aimlessly around the Watchpoint and he'd rolled out of bed as well.

It had only taken a few minutes of conversation to acclimate to calling the newcomer Genji, so long as Lúcio kept in mind that his Genji was apparently off working in a restaurant in the New York City of some other dimension. They'd drifted to the kitchen, where Genji promptly decided that he'd make breakfast-- for lack of anything else to do with his time. Besides, he's apparently used to waking up at this hour.

"The walk-in," Genji says, back turned, "would have more space."

Lúcio hasn't ever seen Genji turn his back to a stranger, but if he comes from a world where he doesn't have to consider the risk of being attacked from behind, Lúcio's glad for it. "I think Winston was using this little one," he answers from his spot on the counter, "but after the recall there's been a lot more people on base and we haven't switched over yet."

Genji turns around with an armful of fruit-- bananas, little containers of blueberries and raspberries-- and a tub of yogurt. Lúcio grins at the sight, then catches Genji's eye, brows rising at the understated smirk on his face. That other Lúcio must have the same taste.

Shaking his head, Genji looks away as he brings his loot to the counter and sets it beside Lúcio. "I see," he says.

Up close, the similarities between this Genji and the one he knows are more prominent-- down to the furrow of his brows. "What's wrong?" Lúcio asks, leaning back to rest his weight on his hands and craning his head for a better look. "You alright?"

Before answering, Genji pries open the tub of yogurt and sniffs its contents, nodding briefly in satisfaction before he moves away for a bowl. "You are really just like my Lúcio," he says, turning back. "Even the little things."

Whatever Lúcio's about to say next fades as someone enters the kitchen, pushing open the door as she shuffles in. Pharah yawns and greets Lúcio, then turns to Genji, blinking in confusion. "Hi," she says, quickly looking back at Lúcio. "Who's this?"

"You don't recognize me?" Genji says, pressing a hand over his heart, his expression the picture of wounded shock. "Fareeha," he laments, "I thought we were friends."

"Genji?"

"The one and only." Genji grins, turning to Pharah when she steps in close and pokes at his chest. "Well," he says after a beat, "maybe not only."

Briefly squeezing his arm, Pharah paces around him, sizing him up from every angle. "Is this an upgrade?" She ruffles his hair, rolling a tuft between her fingers as he ducks away. "A hologram? Hard light? Dr. Ziegler didn't say anything about it."

Lúcio swings his feet, tossing Genji a small plastic bear full of honey when he motions for it. "Dimension stuff."

"Oh." A pause, then, "Oh," as she realizes that she's been poking at a functional stranger. "That makes sense," she says, sheepishly ducking out of Genji's way when he slips around her for a plastic container of cereal.

"And I wouldn't say upgrade," Lúcio laughs, sliding off the counter and grabbing a spoon. He sidles up to Genji and leans over his arm, watching as he layers the cereal, fruit and yogurt into two bowls, finally drizzling a generous amount of honey over each.

"Hey," Genji snaps back, playfully scooping up both bowls and holding them well out of Lúcio's reach. He offers one to Pharah, over Lúcio's head, and asks, "Parfait for breakfast?"

Laughing, Pharah accepts the bowl and backs away. In the middle of the kitchen, Lúcio wraps both arms around Genji's elbow, suspending his weight on the limb until Genji gives in and his breakfast comes within reach.

> GIBRALTAR 09:40

Unsurprisingly, Genji and Lena hit it off while Winston tinkers with a teleporter pad he'd managed to procure after a brief skirmish with Vishkar agents on assignment in New Mexico.

Lúcio quietly notes that this Genji is-- chattier than his cyborg version. Even a green-haired Genji can't match Tracer for conversation, but he manages to keep up, referencing memes at a pace that would have Hana in stitches if she were around to hear them. Lúcio's been texting her updates and photos, but she'd left for a training exercise in Taiwan a week ago and isn't due to return until the end of the month.

Hanging back, Lúcio's eyes intermittently return to a lone, awkward figure lurking in the corner of the room. He notices Genji looking as well, clearly trying to devise a plan to talk to his brother for a bit before he's sent home. Hanzo has somehow managed to dodge every attempt while maintaining his presence-- his anguished expression notwithstanding. Lúcio can almost imagine what's going through his head, and briefly considers that neither of these professional ninjas are any good at poker faces.

Still, he'd promised his own Genji that he wouldn't interfere with his and Hanzo's relationship, so he sidles up to Winston instead. What he knows of programming isn't nearly enough to parse the code on screen, and he regards the perplexed expression on Winston's face with a frown. "I," the scientist says, turning to regard Genji and hand him a small beacon, "am not sure that this will take you where you're meant to be, but if it doesn't, just activate this beacon and you'll come back here."

"I see. Thank you."

"Well," says Lúcio, clapping Genji on the bicep, "it was good meeting you. Really. Breakfast was great."

"Likewise," Genji replies as Winston activates the teleporter and a blue portal opens above it. "Thank you for having me."

Genji turns to Lena, extending his arms toward her, and he grins at the surprise on her face. Still, she immediately steps closer, squeezing him tightly around his ribs. "Wish we'd had some more time to talk," she says. "Would've loved to get some recipes from you."

"Oh?" he retorts, laughing. "You cook here? Without burning the kitchen down?"

Lena flushes, smacking him lightly on the shoulder. "Well, Emily likes to!"

"Some things never change," Genji answers, nodding sagely. He ducks away from her next swipe, waving cheekily at the gathered crowd as he steps easily into the portal.

From the other side, this world's Genji stumbles out of the portal, still wearing an apron. He immediately backs away from the teleporter as he unties the string around his waist, and approaches Lúcio by Winston's console. Winston accepts the grateful pat on his shoulder, and Lúcio motions for the two of them to return to their room.

Hanzo makes to leave as well, half a second away from prompting the lab's doors to open when the teleporter hums again. Winston frowns, brows furrowing as he leans closer to the screen to read the string of errors his code had thrown. The actual content of the errors means nothing to Lúcio, but a screen of red exclamation points is never a good thing. He moves to the platform, prepared to manually deactivate the machine, but has to duck out of the way when two shapes appear in the opaque portal and materialize in a flash of blue light.

"Oh," says Winston, not sounding pleased at all.

Lúcio backpedals away from the two newcomers, one of them a leaner version of the Genji who'd just taken his leave-- younger too, upon closer inspection. Green hair and all. He seems to withdraw, radiating tension as he scans the room. The other gives Winston's lab a dispassionate once-over, brows raising in surprise at the faces present before he turns to Lúcio. Waiting a moment just to confirm that neither of them are about to be anti-mattered into nonexistence, Lúcio extends a hand for an older, mildly exasperated himself to shake. "Hi," he says.

"Hello hello," the other Lúcio replies, turning to check on his Genji when he releases Lúcio's hand. "Not gonna lie," he adds, the calm of his voice belying the deliberate caution in his movements, "I did not see this coming."

A second later, another flash of light on the other side of the teleporter. Chef Genji (as Lúcio's started to refer to him in his mind) reappears, this time with his own Lúcio in tow.

"I," chef Genji says, "didn't activate the beacon. It sent me to the right place."

"Oh," says cyborg Genji, regarding both new versions of himself.

Lúcio gestures at the age-swapped pair. "So how did these two get here?"

"It's possible," Winston groans, scanning his code, "that the streams got crossed, and when the program threw the error, it tried to recompile. Some of the values were retained and a few others were altered in the recursive loop. Uhm. Essentially, we pulled another two of you."

Lúcio mulls that over, pacing around the teleporter as the other Genjis and Lúcios introduce themselves to each other. "Hey," he says after a moment, ears still tuned to the whir of machinery, "did you stop the compilation?"

Winston lurches for his keyboard, but not before another flash of blue light, and yet another pair appearing in the room. He cancels the sequence, powers the teleporter down, and regards the last Lúcio and Genji. They look much like the New York versions, but Genji's dressed in a lean-cut grey suit with a light green, silk tie, his hair undyed. Lúcio stands apart from him, nearly a meter away-- completely unlike the closeness the other Lúcios allow.

Hanzo seems frozen in place, a deer in headlights as his expression slowly morphs to incredulity. He actually flees, the disappearance hard to note unless you were really paying attention, as Lúcio was.

"Alright," Winston says, trying to sound calm, "I know you're all wondering why you're here."

> GIBRALTAR 11:22

"I don't understand," the youngest Genji says, looking around. "Why are all the versions of me so different, but the Lúcios are all the same?" Then he pauses, turning a cheeky grin on his Lúcio. "Except for you. You are so old."

"Hey--"

"I think I can answer that." Genji-- the one who belongs in this dimension (who they've unanimously labeled Genji Prime)-- crosses his arms over his chest and leans back, hip braced against the counter. "Our lives have been almost entirely dictated by the choices that Hanzo made," he points out, "but the circumstances in which Lúcio could have met us... are very specific."

"My Hanzo could never have done that to me," chef Genji agrees, indicating the cyborg with a sympathetic tilt of his head. Prime had met that Hanzo briefly in his time in New York, almost at a loss as to how to respond to the indulgent big brother he'd known as a child, only ten years older and significantly less jaded. It'd been a bittersweet experience-- they were hardly rich and the work was a grind, but at least the crew at Sol seemed happy.

"Mine almost did," yakuza Genji confirms. He'd shrugged out of his blazer a while ago, and he rolls up his sleeve to show the scar on his arm, mottling his tattoo. "We reconciled," he says, "but it was a close call."

Young Genji frowns, looking nauseous, but he doesn't add anything. He does glance at his Lúcio, who's regarding Genji Prime with a thoughtful expression on his face. "Speaking of," the oldest Lúcio says, clapping young Genji on the shoulder, "you mind if I hit the archive room? I'm still trying to get a handle on this place."

"Of course." Prime Genji immediately flanks him, trailing Lúcio as he heads for the exit. Part of him wants to keep the newcomers from wandering off on their own; the rest of him wants to compare experiences. "I'll come with you."

True to form, Prime Lúcio claps his hands to draw everyone else's attention, instantly catching on to Genji's intent. "The rest of us can make lunch," he says, then punches restaurant Genji on the arm. "Chef here can take the lead on that."

That actually makes older Lúcio pause by the door, a wry twist to his lips as he seriously seems to reconsider a visit to Overwatch's records in favor of watching Genji cook. He glances at the cyborg, then shakes his head. "Man I'd hate to miss that," he says, giving the other versions of himself a meaningful look, "but I'll catch up."

"I'll save you something," young Genji pipes up, to a chorus of snickers (from Genjis) and affectionate chuckles (from Lúcios). He immediately flushes, jaw jutting forward as his Lúcio turns an indulgent grin on him. "I will," he insists, and scowls when the yakuza version of himself snorts.

"There's going to be enough for everyone," chef Genji cuts in, eyeing the smiles spreading across Lúcios' faces.

"Aw," Prime Lúcio says.

"We really appreciate that," manager Lúcio says.

"Yeah," the Lúcio who'd arrived with yakuza Genji adds, "that's really thoughtful."

"Let's go," cyborg Genji murmurs, his vents opening as his voice takes on a note of urgency; watching three Lúcios take pity on his younger self had immediately overwhelmed his capacity for secondhand embarrassment. "We might be done in time to help."

"Alright," older Lúcio says, his shoulders shaking with barely-suppressed laughter, "I'm with you."

> GIBRALTAR 11:50

Possibly out of respect for the weirdness of the situation, the rest of the team had elected to quash their curiosity and stay out of their way while chef Genji cooked lunch. He'd easily roped young Genji into cutting vegetables and the yakuza version to procure drinks-- playing to their strengths as he manually rolls out a length of pasta dough.

(Yakuza Genji had tried to escape the task by noting that he's never had to pair wine for a meal himself before, but he also roundly rejects two of his Lúcio's suggestions before wandering to the cabinet himself and selecting the best, oldest Chardonnay from it. A perfect complement to the seafood pasta chef Genji's in the midst of preparing.

"Hanzo stocked this cabinet," he'd said, laughing. "I don't think alcohol is usually allowed on UN bases, and these are his emergency picks, for when his favorite sake isn't available."

"He definitely had to tone it down in New York," chef Genji had replied, and they'd shared an exasperated, knowing look that Prime Lúcio's pretty sure his Genji's never worn.)

Manager Lúcio had dashed off to set up the cafeteria, announcing that if they were going to make a good first impression, they'd better blow the team away with a fantastic lunch. The other two hover by chef Genji's elbows, inundating him with everything from questions about technique and everyday life at home to offers to help. Both of them enthusiastically set to the tasks assigned to them-- various smaller chores to make the process smoother-- while Genji checks on sauces, his younger version's knifework, his pasta, and the seafood defrosting on the counter.

"Wow," Tracer comments as she bounds into the canteen, blinking to the buffet-style setup in the center, "look at that spread!"

Mccree and Pharah trail in after her, then Winston and Mei. Zarya and Zenyatta come last, the former having warmed up to Zenyatta after several missions together. They regularly schedule joint training sessions now, which is just as well for keeping the omnic occupied while Genji has his hands full with his alternate-timeline doubles.

"It's thanks to this guy," Prime Lúcio informs Lena, gesturing at chef Genji.

"Wow," she says, laughing as she grabs a plate and helps herself to a heap of pasta, "can we keep him?"

"He says they've really gotta get home," Lúcio sighs, "but I wish, right?"

Pharah approaches with a smile, her plate already loaded. "Lúcio," she mock-whispers, more than loud enough for everyone else to hear, "you lied to me! This one is definitely an upgrade."

"Hey!" Lúcio balks, shaking his head. Then, "I mean, I wouldn't complain if he wanted to stay, though."

"He could come back with me instead," another Lúcio-- the one who'd arrived with yakuza Genji-- volunteers.

Despite looking as if he's been ignoring the exchange, yakuza Genji looks over with a snappish, "Rude."

"Reyes isn't gonna be happy if we're no-shows for days," Lúcio demurs with a laugh, "but it might be alright if you send us back to right after we left? Time is weird."

"Well, that shouldn't be a problem." Here, it's Winston's turn to flash a cheeky smile, baring his fangs. "I think I've parsed the quantum signatures for each of your timelines," he explains, "it'll just take some testing to make sure you get there and stay there." Then he pauses, waiting to catch Lena's eye and prompt a little wave before he turns back to Lúcio. "The chronal differential is something I have plenty of experience with."

Chef Genji stands to the side, sleepily demolishing a croissant he'd found and toasted in lieu of eating anything he's actually cooked. He politely declines the plate his Lúcio tries to pass him, but accepts a sip of his wine. It takes nearly ten minutes of scanning the room for a familiar face before he speaks up, frowning. "Where's Hanzo?"

"He's usually up on the satellite array." Pharah points in its general direction. Regular aerial patrols around the Watchpoint are, after all, a great way to familiarize herself with the habits of her teammates. "Need a map?"

Genji nods, already gathering a few portions each of dishes his Hanzo, at least, likes. "I can find it," he says, hefting the container in his hands. "Thanks."

Lena sidles up to Prime Lúcio, gently bumping him on the shoulder with her own. "You think that's gonna help?"

"Honestly? I have no idea."

> GIBRALTAR 11:35

Lúcio leans back, scratching his chin as Genji flicks off the stream-- the cyborg's own recording of a Blackwatch assignment from nearly five years ago. It was a disconcerting experience, watching events unfold pretty much as he'd remembered them, but missing key elements (namely, himself). "I'm really not in here at all, huh," Lúcio murmurs.

"There is a dossier on my Lúcio," Genji volunteers, "but the timeline is different."

Leaning forward, Lúcio rests his elbows on his knees and drags his hands down his face. "Never thought I'd be back here again," he sighs, "but no one here knows me the way I know them. That's the worst part."

Genji stays still, watching. He's quiet-- much more like Lúcio himself than the gregarious, upbeat young Genji he knows. "I'm sorry," Genji says at last, sounding deeply sympathetic.

"For what?" Lúcio dismisses the idea with a forced, uneasy laugh. "It's not on you."

After a moment of silence, Genji decides not to allow that comment to slide. "I know," he says, gentle but firm. "But I also know what my time in Blackwatch meant to me, and I know it would be painful to have it all erased."

"Honestly, it wasn't even that good. Lot of stuff going on that never should've happened."

"But it shaped the person you are, so it's not so easily forgotten."

Lúcio bares his teeth. "Least someone here understands."

Genji looks between Lúcio and the backs of his hands, eyeing the panels that slide open to arm his shuriken. "My younger self will probably not understand you for many years," he tells him, amused against his better judgment. "Why you decided to help him, and why you decided to trust him."

"Does he have to?" Lúcio raises his brows, not expecting Genji's startled look, but not pretending, either, that he doesn't understand how and why the other man had ended up a cyborg. That familiar, ambitious shine in his eyes is no different from the Lúcio of this timeline, but it's tempered with age and experience, a calm focus. "No one should have to go through that."

Genji says nothing, not ignoring the words but slowly digesting them.

When the quiet drags on for just a beat too long, Lúcio taps his elbow. "What's on your mind, old Genji?"

"It's strange," Genji answers slowly, "to think of the person my Lúcio could be in ten years."

"I remember being his age," Lúcio says, laughing. "It's all about the music, and Brazil, and the music in Brazil right now."

"Oh," Genji answers, affection apparent in his voice, "I know."

**Author's Note:**

> wrote this a long time ago and forgot to post it to ao3! my bad!


End file.
